EAA Chapter 1332 Monthly MeetingEAA Chapter 1332 Monthly Meeting

John R. “Lites” Leenhouts
John R. “Lites” Leenhouts is SUN 'n FUN’s President & CEO. He is a 27-year veteran of the United States Navy with a distinguished record of service as a carrier fighter pilot along with an extensive list of community involvement.
Leenhouts obtained his private pilot license in 1970 and has accumulated more than 10,000 hours as piloting various military, antique and civilian aircraft. Commissioned an Ensign in March, 1974, he was designated a Naval Aviator on August 22, 1975 at NAS Kingsville, Texas. After a distinguished 27-year career, he retired from the Navy in 2001 holding the rank of Captain. Leenhouts primarily few the A-7 Corsair, F-14 Tomcat, and the F/A-18 and holds the distinction of performing more landings (or “traps” in naval nomenclature) on an aircraft carrier than any other naval aviator in U.S. history with 1645 arrested landings.
Since his retirement from the Navy, Leenhouts worked for over ten years for the Northrop Grumman Corporation as the F/A-18 Program Manager in the Jacksonville, Florida area. Much of his work related to modification and overhaul for the F/A-18 “Super Hornet.”
In his time out of the office, “Lites” enjoys flying his 1941 Stearman or 1930 Waco, driving antique British cars, or riding his Harley on the many back roads of our great nation.